Dallas Cowboys get team service dog

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER 24: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys hands off to Ezekiel Elliott #21 during the first half against the New England Patriots in the game at Gillette Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER 24: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys hands off to Ezekiel Elliott #21 during the first half against the New England Patriots in the game at Gillette Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Dallas Cowboys got a team service dog.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys are investing in their community by becoming the latest pro sports team (and the first football team, to our knowledge) to help raise service dogs.

About a third of the NHL teams are participating in a similar program, and a few Major League Baseball teams are rumored to be considering it as well.

Though the Cowboys are the first pro football team to get a team service dog, the Cleveland Browns have a live mascot legacy, and the San Francisco 49ers have an emotional support dog on staff.

The Cowboys, who announced the newest acquisition with a video starring center Joe Looney on their Twitter on the morning of Thanksgiving Eve, will be working with Canine Companions for Independence and the Baylor Scott and White hospital network’s Kinkeade campus.

Puppy Dak will undergoing about 18 months of socialization and preliminary training before hopefully becoming an assistance dog for a military veteran.

CCI is also working with the San Jose Sharks’ Finn and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Bolt. The Cowboys’ yellow Lab will be called Puppy Dak, named after starting quarterback Dak Prescott.

The human Dak Prescott led the Mississippi State Bulldogs to four straight bowl games from 2012-2015, including the 2014 Orange Bowl.

Prescott has thrown 266 completions for 3,433 yards and 21 touchdowns out of 398 attempts through 11 games in 2019, with 10 interceptions. He has also rushed 34 times for 197 yards and three touchdowns.

The Cowboys are 6-5 on the season so far, and coming off a 13-9 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in a driving rainstorm in Foxborough last Sunday.

They host the Buffalo Bills at AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving on CBS, kickoff begins at 3:30 p.m. ET. British pop singer Ellie Goulding will be performing during the Salvation Army Halftime Show.

Our 2019 National Dog Show predictions. dark. Next

For more information on what’s happening with all things Dallas Cowboys football, see our FanSided Network sister site The Landry Hat for the latest news, analysis and opinions.